Day one sets the tone for the relationship. It’s your new starter’s first impression of what it’s like to be an LSE employee – and first impressions count. For this reason, it’s recommended that, where possible, your new starter’s first day at LSE is on campus and in-person so that they can experience the campus community and start to put faces to names.
Day one checklists are helpful but don’t let the induction become a tick-box exercise. Both you and your new starter should take responsibility for making sure that all items are thoroughly covered.
The basics
Induction isn’t just skills training. It's about the basics that people already in the organisation know.
Don’t forget to talk to your new starter about the things that are specific to their role:
- Working hours
- Process for lunches/breaks
- What systems they should have access to
- Sickness, absence and holiday procedures
- Ways of working (e.g. team meetings, 1-1s, communication channels, expenses, on campus days etc.)
The Day 1 checklist will help with this.
Don't forget, you can also use the induction plan template to map out all the new starter's induction activities. Ideally, you would have planned this before day one and handed it to the new person on day one to help them navigate in their first few weeks.
If your new starter is working remotely, they may need to know how to set themselves up and access systems from home.
If your new starter is campus-based don’t forget to also cover:
- Where to get tea/coffee or put their lunch
- When the fire alarm test occurs
- First aid and assembly points
- Toilet location
- Where to send/receive post
- Where to get stationery from
- How to book travel, if relevant
- How to create an email signature
- How to connect to the printer
- Use of personal smart phones, and internet browsing policies
- How to setup/login remotely
- How to book desks, workspaces and meeting rooms
Give your new starter a buddy
Think about whether you can nominate someone in the team to act as a buddy to show the new person around and/or go for lunch with them on their first day. A warm welcome will help to calm any nerves or worries and help make a good impression.
Of course, a buddy is often a good idea for more than just day 1 and a buddy can support a new employee during their first few months of employment. They provide insight into the structure, ways or working and culture of the School and help them fit in more quickly. Make sure you set up a buddy before your new starter’s first day. To help you do this, check out our new starter buddy guide.
What's next?
You should, of course, be thinking about day one as part of a holistic induction plan. So make sure you are looking at the week one and month one sections of this toolkit as well.